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Seriously ModelsAngel, you just cut and paste the model search page from my site???? Geez, thanks for the credit on my good work. And I wouldn't call all of the models 'top' by any means; they just happen to have been tagged to a post.

Mods - I did a search and couldn't find a thread on this. If one exists please merge.

I recently had the opportunity to do a photoshoot with a plus size model. She was size 16 and absolutely stunning (and a great model too). In conversations with our stylist we came across some interesting issues about plus size fashion.

I think many of us know about Mark Fast's decision to use plus size models and how this (allegedly) resulted in his stylist walking out. Perhaps more interesting, we were trying to source wardrobe for the shoot from high end designers (who advertise their designs up to size 16) only to discover that sample sizes were only in size 10 or 12. How can this be good business when the average UK woman is 5ft 4in and a size 14? Or is there some justification in the view that the popularity of plus size fashion is merely a reflection of an increasingly obese population and being overweight is not healthy?

But plus size models are being used in Vogue Italia (and other major magazines) quite a bit now and there are several publications which cater for women who are size 16 and above and are interested in fashion. Surely fashion is about looking and feeling good whatever your size and shape?

Fraiseap:
The models used by Mark Fast over his 3 shows topped out at a UK 14, or a US12. I can't say for sure the reason why he kept using 'plus size' models when there was so much valid criticism beyond the "stylist walks out" story (Hayley Morley shouldn't be on a catwalk, ever ), but good on him for his show of commitment. Which we should all note appears to have ended

I think fashion is a business, and one that is only about selling goods (catalogs, lookbooks, magazines, shows, etc), and doing whatever is required to maximise the asking price of those goods to return high margin (via PR, editorial placement, celeb endorsement, advertising, etc.) The consumer acceptance of the $100 designer tshirt should tell us something about that - tshirts being the cheapest garment to construct. Looking and feeling good in your clothes is simply a byproduct of being able to find what you want at a price you can afford. Many larger women complain about lack of choice. It is a valid complaint through all price points.

Much has already been written about tiny designer sample sizes and the reluctance/inability to diversify model sizes in editorials. Alexandra Shulman of Vogue UK has been the latest person of profile to attempt to bring about change but to date has had no positive reaction from the designers - the sample sizes remain the same.

Yes, there is a decided lack of designer/high street clothing available for size 16+ editorials, and it should be noted that even the plus-size e-zines use first run stock rather than samples in their shoots. SLINK uses girls in the UK10-12 bracket for shoots so they can borrow from the high street; 'Beautiful' at this stage is a bit hard to take seriously as a fashion magazine and needs better direction and development.

Where you say "Or is there some justification in the view that the popularity of plus size fashion is merely a reflection of an increasingly obese population and being overweight is not healthy?"
Frankly, it's not popularity we have to address - it is necessity. I don't know whose viewpoint your are stating - whether you refer to dimwit Karl Lagerfeld saying that noone wants to see larger models and that the customers are all sitting on the couch eating chips; or some learned psychologist's clinical study - however the BUSINESS of fashion should not ignore the money earning potential of plus size clothing, no matter where the genesis for the demand lies; that is where the bad business truly is. In no way, shape or form should fashion stakeholders have a say in determining what is health, or what health looks like. If the designers don't want larger women wearing tights/leggings as pants, then there MUST BE OPTIONS!! Seriously, stop policing our bodies and what we wear and just do your damn job of making attractive, wearable clothes that people will want to buy.

I own Gucci, Missoni, Viktor and Rolf, and many other designers in a size 46+. There are larger sizes to be had; we have to ask for it and we also have to be able to afford it. Many women in the world's largest plus size market (the US) cannot, which is why there is no perceived viability in designing high-end collections for larger women, and it remains stuck in limited-edition and bespoke sales.